SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., April 30, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: RIGL) today announced that it will host an Investor Day on Tuesday, May 6, 2014 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. E.T. in New York City. Rigel management will provide an overview of the company's product portfolio and discuss future strategy.

Donald G. Payan, M.D., executive vice president and president of discovery and research of Rigel, will provide an overview of Rigel's product portfolio, including an outline of its upcoming Phase 3 studies of fostamatinib in patients with Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP).

At the event, James B. Bussel, M.D., a leading expert on ITP and professor of pediatrics in medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, will comment on fostamatinib and treatment options for ITP.

To access the live audio webcast or the subsequent archived recording, log on to www.rigel.com. Please connect to Rigel's website several minutes prior to the start of the live webcast to ensure adequate time for any software download that may be necessary.

About Rigel (www.rigel.com)

Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a clinical-stage drug development company that discovers and develops novel, small-molecule drugs for the treatment of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, as well as muscle disorders. Rigel's pioneering research focuses on intracellular signaling pathways and related targets that are critical to disease mechanisms. Rigel currently has five product candidates in development: fostamatinib, an oral SYK inhibitor expected to enter Phase 3 clinical trials for ITP in the second quarter of 2014 and a Phase 2 clinical trial for IgA nephropathy in the second half of 2014; R348, a topical JAK/SYK inhibitor currently in Phase 2 clinical trials for dry eye; R118, an AMPK activator in Phase 1 development; and two oncology product candidates in Phase 1 development with partners BerGenBio and Daiichi Sankyo.

Contacts:
Contact: Raul Rodriguez
Phone: 650.624.1302
Email: invrel@rigel.com

Media Contact: Susan C. Rogers, Rivily, Inc.
Phone: 650.430.3777
Email: susan@rivily.com

SOURCE Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc.